


The Gift of Family

by GotNoTIme



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F, Multi, Sad Danny, with an uplifting ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-27
Updated: 2015-01-27
Packaged: 2018-03-09 07:13:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3240968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GotNoTIme/pseuds/GotNoTIme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You have had horrible holiday's since the day you were born so you shouldn't of expected anything different this year.  Except maybe it's time for the universe to pay you back, and maybe this can be the start of something new.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Gift of Family

You have never gotten a Christmas gift.  As a child it used to bother you, but eventually it became another thing you got used to, another thing you didn’t have.  Growing up in the foster system, there was no money allotted to giving presents. There were rare times when you were in a foster home during the holiday season but that meant nothing special. Usually, families didn’t want to deal with an extra random kid during Christmas.  The ones that did were only doing it for the cheque, and that money was to buy them some extra drugs as a gift to themselves.  When you were young, the only gift you wanted was a family, but the world didn’t work like that and Santa wasn’t kind to damaged children with haunted eyes and bruised frames.

…

By the time you turned 16, you had gotten in too many fights and kicked out of too many houses.  After a while, they stopped trying and left you in a group home for good. During those years, a microwaved turkey dinner for Christmas was as good as it got.  It didn’t matter, you had stopped wishing for gifts and miracles long ago.   

…

You imagined what your first Christmas gift might be like; far away from the families and foster children who had let you down and tore at your spirit.  You had pictured waking up happy and exchanging a carefully thought out gift with the girl you loved.  Now, you think you were stupid to ever believe you deserved happiness.  

…

You were just hours old when you had been left in the snow by the side of the fire station.  It was December 21st and you almost froze to death before anyone found you.  You spent your first Christmas battling for your life in the hospital, and sometimes you wish you hadn’t made it.    

…

When you meet Laura you’re filled with a warmth that’s escaped you since the day you were born.  She makes you laugh and smile, shining light in the darkest corners of your mind.  You start to think that maybe now you don’t have to be alone anymore.  Maybe you have finally found someone who wants you.

...

When she chooses Carmilla, you feel your heart turn to ice and you hate yourself for getting attached, for falling in love.  You should have known how this would turn out, you have never been enough for anyone and you never will.  You had tried so hard to hold onto this love you had somehow been blessed with that you pushed her away.  

…

It was the second week of December and you had just gotten back from a run when you see a package sitting outside your door.  Picking it up, your stomach drops when the realization comes that it’s the gift you had ordered for Laura, you had bought it early, wanting everything to be perfect.  You had been so excited by the thought of having people to be with, that you had done all your shopping early.  Wanting to be in Laura’s good books you had bought a gift for Perry and even grabbed something for Lafontaine, ignoring the fact that you didn’t get along.   You pictured the perfect moment, desperate to see that special Laura smile when she opened your gift.  You didn’t know that by the time Christmas came you already would have lost her.  

…

You should have known.

…

The box sits on your desk for a week, taunting you with what could have been.  On December 20th, you decide that you have had enough and that the gifts shouldn’t go to waste just because you were tossed aside again.  They could be something like a goodbye, or a reminder of the good times they had shared.  Besides, you had spent a fair bit of money on Laura, money you didn’t really have.  Groceries had been limited that month.  

…

Perry has a surprised look on her face when she opens the door, finding you standing there awkwardly with two tiny boxes held out.  Your mumbled “Merry Christmas” and explanation of your appearance has you beet red.  She tells you “you shouldn’t have” and that she can’t accept, sounding scandalised that she doesn't have a gift for you. Wishing you had just forgotten about this whole thing, you insist that she take it and that you didn’t mind.

This wasn’t about getting anything, and you had learned long ago not to expect anything from this stupid pointless holiday.

When Laf comes up behind her and takes their gift, they give you a look of pity.  You kind of want to die because you know that your carefully constructed mask is gone.  Torn away by the small girl down the hall.  You know you look sad and you may as well be wearing a shirt that says “I’m lonely and pathetic, please somebody love me”.

You stand outside her door for a long time, remembering the times you could just walk in and Laura would smile at you like you were her favorite person in the whole world.  Now that smile is reserved for Carmilla only, and her eyes show a love for the vampire that you doubt you could have ever had.  

A few seconds after you knock, the door opens and you have to stop yourself from running when Carmilla is standing there wearing one of Laura’s shirts.  It’s just another blow to your already shattered feelings.

You don’t know how long you have been standing there with your eyes locked onto the plaid of the stolen shirt, remembering a time where the girl had walked around proudly wearing your own lacrosse jacket.   It had been huge on her but she had looked adorable.  

The clearing of a throat snaps you back to reality.

“Something you need from me, Big Red?” Carmilla’s voice doesn’t hold any of the usual malice it carries when talking to you.  That’s when you realise that even the blood sucker has started to feel sorry for you.  

“Is Laura here?” You hate that your voice has just become a hollow whisper, but you can’t bring yourself to find a reason to care to fix it.

“Laura went home to visit her dad, she left this morning.  I’m surprised you didn’t know that, the ginger twins leave tonight, shouldn’t you be home with your family of giants as well?”

You think back to the moments before when you had talked to Perry and realise that she had looked a little frazzled, as if she were busy or in a rush.  If you had been paying more attention you would have seen that there were suitcase inside the doorway.  You try not to think about how you have no one and sometimes it slips your mind that other people have a place to go.

“I- uh.  I don’t”

You’re stuttering and you hate it, no one at Silas knows that you’re a foster kid, not even Laura.  You had been planning to tell her but hadn’t found the right moment yet. Then everything had gone to hell and it didn’t matter anymore.

“I don’t have a family”  

Why did you just tell Carmilla that?

Ignoring the churning in your gut you push the box forward into the vampire’s surprised grasp trying not to look at her confused expression as she analyzes what you said.

“It doesn’t matter, can you just make sure she gets this when she gets back?” You’re turning to flee as quickly as you can, but supernatural reflexes win out and a hand on your wrist is pulling you back.

“Not so fast Xena, we need to talk.”

When had you become this complacent girl?  You don’t even have the energy to fight as Carmilla pulls you inside and sits you down on her bed, placing your present on Laura’s mattress.  

She stands in front of you for a moment before she speaks.

“Laura misses you.”

You can’t help the snort of disbelief at hearing that.  Laura doesn’t miss you, not when she had Elvira to keep her company.  

“I don’t have the energy to be playing games with you, dead girl” you’re moving to get up and go but suddenly you’re stopped by a hand pushing you back down on the mattress.

“And I don’t have the energy to be dealing with you two stubborn idiots, so just listen to me.  Laura misses you, she still has feelings for you and it’s killing her to see you upset.  We have talked about it a lot and have come up with a solution.  Laura has just been too scared to put the plan into action so I’m taking matters into my own hands. Here is the deal. Laura likes you, you like Laura, and if we stop this stupid competition, I think that you and I could get along.  So basically what we are thinking is that the three of us should date and that way Laura won’t have to choose and everyone can be happy.”

The room is silent as you try to process what you just heard.

“Is this a joke?”

Carmilla sighs and sits down on the bed.

“It’s not a joke, I know it may sound…unorthodox.  But there are actually people all over the world who do this and I’ve seen it work.  It’s not ideal but I’m just asking you to try, as much as I didn’t expect you to be a part of my life… this could be a way for everyone to be happy.

“Didn’t take you as one of the sappy ones.”  You couldn’t help yourself, it was in your nature to tease Carmilla.  It was something familiar and you hadn’t felt like yourself in a long time, hadn't been in the mood to be you.

“Tell anyone and I’ll destroy you.”  

You can’t help but laugh a little at the threat.  This is absolutely crazy, but then again when has anything about Silas ever been normal.

“I think Laura would be upset if you destroyed one of her girlfriends.”

Suddenly, there is a hand in yours and the dark haired girl is looking at you intently, studying your face.

“So you’ll try?”

“Yeah, I’ll try.”

You sit there together side by side for a while, just taking in the new situation.

“Come on Danny, it’s getting late and I’m hungry, find me dinner.”

An honest laugh comes from your chest and you feel a warmth you thought you would never have again. Twenty minutes later, you’re in the kitchen at the Summer Society house, cooking while Carmilla talks about what you guys should do when Laura gets back.  You try to concentrate on not burning dinner and listening to what she says.  She is perched on the counter beside you as you cook and you can’t stop smiling, you’ve missed this feeling.  That’s when you realise that you have finally gotten your first Christmas gift.  It didn’t come in a box, there was no bow or wrapping paper.  In came in the form of a second chance, a chance at love and a chance to have a family.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes I realize that this is a Christmas fic. But I had the idea and I couldn't stop myself....so just think of it as a really early Christmas gift instead.


End file.
